Final two wildcard matches pit haves against have-nots
Most Liga MX fans figure the outcome of Sunday’s “Repechaje” contests are a foregone conclusion. After all, the two highly regarded “Regiomontano” clubs play host to the two lowest seeds in the postseason.
The sixth-seeded Tigres welcome the 11th-seeded Diablos of Toluca to “El Volcán” at 7 pm and No. 12 Puebla will take the field at Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA Bancomer to face the fifth-seeded Rayados in the nightcap.
While the Tigres and Monterrey were battling all season for a Top 4 seed and a first-round bye, their opponents did not clinch a playoff berth until the final weekend of the Guardianes 2020.
The visitors are heavy underdogs and a glance at the teams’ payrolls make that quite understandable.
Monterrey boasts the biggest payroll in Liga MX – $82.1 million dollars – nearly four times as big as Puebla’s ($21.7 million dollars). Though not as dramatic, the Tigres’ payroll ($66 million dollars) dwarfs that of their opponent (Toluca has a payroll of $26 million dollars).
So why watch, you might ask. Well, neither of the favorites quite lived up to their lofty reputations and there’s no quit in either Toluca or Puebla, both of whom can be described as scrappy teams.
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Toluca actually defeated the Tigres in their lone meeting this season, getting an injury-time goal from Alexis Canelo to steal a 3-2 win. Of course, you’d be right in pointing out that the Tigres were without All Liga MX goalie Nahuel Guzmán who was forced into quarantine upon contracting Covid-19.
And the Rayados manhandled Puebla on Oct. 17 in a Matchday 14 contest, building a 3-0 lead before the 50-minute mark. But the Camoteros fought back, scoring from the spot in minute 67 then being denied another penalty a few minutes later that might have made it a 1-goal game with 10 minutes to play.
Toluca’s chances ride on the shoulders of veteran playmaker Rubens Sambueza and the Tigres will no doubt send waves of defenders at him to limit his space and cut off his passing lanes. Striker Alexis Canelo will also get plenty of attention.
The Tigres will, as usual, depend on striker André-Pierre Gignac, but coach Ricardo Ferretti will hope one of his linemates emerges as a playoff here. Candidates are Nico López and Leo Fernández, young forwards who found more playing time as the season advanced.
Ferretti has a deep bench at his disposal so it will be interesting to see how patient he is if the game is undecided early in the second half. The Tigres have been profligate in front of goal all season and were haunted by coughing up late goals throughout. Those two issues should give Toluca hope.
Meanwhile, Monterrey must hope its potent attack doesn’t continue to misfire. Rogelio Funes Mori is the point man, but Ake Loba, Avilés Hurtado and Vincent Janssen must be ready to contribute.
The Rayados will be concerned about the health of defender César Montes who came back from national team duty with a groin strain. He is expected to play but coach Antonio Mohamed will keep a close eye on his performance.
Puebla knows it must play impeccable defense and will rely on the long ball and counter-attacking moves in hopes of finding an early goal. The Camoteros must be wary of losing tactical shape because Monterrey can strike quickly. If Puebla has to chase goals early, they will be in trouble.
Smart money is heavy on the Tigres and Monterrey to advance to the “Liguilla.”
The Tigres were the winningest team of the decade just ended and the veteran-heavy roster knows its championship window is closing. And Monterrey actually holds three titles right now. The Rayados are the reigning Liga MX champ (Apertura 2019), current Copa MX champ and Concacaf Champions League holder.
But, as they say about that other sport of football – on any given Sunday …